Philadelphia, March 17, 2014 — Annals of Internal Medicine today launched a new interactive medical education tool designed to test physicians' decision-making skills. Annals Virtual Patients uses a unique "if this-then that" format so that each learner goes down his or her own path through a complex clinical simulation. Each simulation covers the examination, diagnosis, and treatment of a virtual patient. Upon completion of each case, physicians may earn Continuing Medical Education (CME) and Maintenance of Certification (MOC) credits.

Annals Virtual Patients is uniquely formatted to allow physicians to learn from mistakes as they proceed through the simulations. Selecting a response prompts a detailed explanation of the medical consequences based on the answer chosen. At the end of each case, the physician is presented with a complete summary of the clinical problem and solution.

The cases will be available to ACP members, Annals subscribers, as well as internists, who are not members of ACP or subscribers to Annals.

The cases were developed by Annals of Internal Medicine editors in collaboration with faculty of the Division of General Internal Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh.

"Annals Virtual Patients is an exceptionally engaging way to earn CME and MOC credits," said Christine Laine, MD, MPH, editor-in-chief of Annals of Internal Medicine and senior vice president of the American College of Physicians. "We encourage physicians to immerse themselves in each unique, new case that is sure to enrich their clinical knowledge."

About Annals of Internal Medicine

Annals of Internal Medicine is one of the most widely cited peer-reviewed medical journals in the world, with a current impact factor of 14. The journal has been published for 86 years. It accepts only about 7 percent of the original research studies submitted for publication. Follow Annals on Twitter and Facebook.

About the American College of Physicians

The American College of Physicians is the largest medical specialty organization and the second-largest physician group in the United States. ACP members include 137,000 internal medicine physicians (internists), related subspecialists, and medical students. Internal medicine physicians are specialists who apply scientific knowledge and clinical expertise to the diagnosis, treatment, and compassionate care of adults across the spectrum from health to complex illness. Follow ACP on Twitter and Facebook.